


This World Ain't Ready for the Ark

by Sunchales



Category: Nightwish - Planet Hell
Genre: Apocalypse, Bloodshed, Dragons, F/F, Storms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-04-02 15:38:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4065319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunchales/pseuds/Sunchales
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who knows why gods or men choose to ravage their planet? Perhaps a woman knows.</p><p>Now updated to fix what might have been a plot hole.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This World Ain't Ready for the Ark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zdenka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zdenka/gifts).



> This fic is based Nightwish's "Planet Hell," recorded on their album _Once_ (2004). Unsurprisingly, the title is also taken from the song's lyrics.
> 
> Zdenka, sorry for getting this in at the last minute. I hope this was what you wanted.

The wind whipped at the swordswoman’s hair as her avian mount sped up the mountain path, kicking up pebbles behind him. Black clouds brooded over the face of the churning waters that surrounded the mountain, and rain pelted the rider’s armor. She heard the roar of the gray salt sea and hoped that the waves could not break against the ledges she and Saberbeak ascended. She was certain the long-legged, long-necked, long-beaked bird agreed. 

_Never look back; never look down_ , she recalled from her days of training. Still, the thinning atmosphere told her that she must be nearing the top of the mountain. 

Finally, the bird stopped running. The swordswoman looked out ahead and espied what she had come for: the single towering obsidian rock, where she had been told her quarry lay.

“Let’s go, Saberbeak!” she cried. 

The bird took as many backward steps as he could without falling off the mountaintop, ran forward, spread his wings, and leapt into the air. Valeriana would have cried out in joy had the storm not slashed at her and her mount from above and beneath. The wind nearly blew them off course, and they both shrieked in unison for one horrible moment as they felt themselves turning upside down. With a brief flutter of his seemingly country-spanning wings, Saberbeak righted himself and his rider.

 _Never look down_ , she reminded herself with a shiver. She found the injunction more difficult to obey this time.

After more struggling, the swordswoman and her bird lit atop the cylindrical rock. Dismounting, she sighed in relief at the sight: the princess she had come for lay breathing and peacefully asleep, though ropes bound her to the four legs of the graven altar that perched on the surface of the jutting stone. The other woman’s garb consisted of a sheer white slip, matching stockings, and some sort of thick red-and-beige disc strapped to her belly. The swordswoman scowled, thinking of what sick person would dare clothe someone in next to nothing before tying her up and exposing her to the cruelties of a northern storm.

With a look and a gesture, she commanded her bird to pick at the ropes binding the princess’s feet, and he immediately bent his head and began to pluck apart the knot around the damsel’s right ankle. The armor-clad maiden unsheathed her sword, stood at the head of the altar, and, with one mighty swing, sliced the two ropes that fastened the captive’s arms. 

She slid her sword back into its holster and grinned. The part she had anticipated most eagerly was about to begin. She leaned over to the princess and placed a long, slow kiss upon her lips. Shortly thereafter, the flimsily dressed woman stirred. With a yawn, she wriggled and blinked and then opened her eyes upon her rescuer.

“Who…who are you? Why are you here?”

“Cassandra, do you not remember me? I am Valeriana, your personal shieldmaiden. I swore to protect you those many years ago, and I have fulfilled that promise. Did you think you would never see me again?”

“Oh, yes. I do recall, on my sixteenth birthday, a female knight who pledged herself to my service in all ways. You were as panther-like then as you are now”—Valeriana smiled at this—“and your company delighted me. But now is not the time for us to speak. Please get me out of here before--"

A sky-splitting roar, loud enough to match the sound of the rolling thunder and pounding rain, emanated from the west of the rock. The princess’s eyes nearly bugged out of her skull, and she sprang up from the altar and into the swordswoman’s arms.

“The beast is coming! Hurry, let’s—"

But another roar interrupted her. Valeriana looked up and saw a green sea dragon, eyes blazing red and dripping jaws set with rows of dagger-like teeth, looming directly overhead. 

She had always prided herself on her iron nerve, but her heart thumped so wildly in her chest that she thought it might explode. The princess shrieked into her knight’s shoulder. 

“Let me draw my sword, Cassandra,” said Valeriana, though the thought of her imminent need to prove that she could best the dragon made her want to faint.

But her fears had less ground than she expected, for Saberbeak suddenly took to the wet and windy air. With the fury of his proud ancestors resounding in his cry, he lifted himself up to eye level with the dragon and dove at it. 

The massive reptile growled at the bird and snapped its jaws at him, but Saberbeak evaded each thrust of the dragon’s head. 

“Kill the beast, my noble steed!” yelled Valeriana. “I know you can!”

Cassandra turned to face the fight unfolding before her. “Onward, valiant bird!” she cried before plunging back into Valeriana’s embrace.

After a few more seconds of dodging the monster’s deathly bites, the long-necked bird lunged at his foe’s cranium and pecked it. The dragon howled in pain as Saberbeak drove his beak into its skull. Blood spurting out of its head wound, the worm began to sink down upon the stone tower. As this creature’s gruesome form careened toward her, Valeriana jumped and cut off its head with a swing of her blade.

“ _Blood for the earth_!” she cried.

Her thrill did not last long, for the remainder of the dragon’s body sloped onto the tower, causing it to start crumbling.  
Cassandra fairly jumped into Valeriana’s arms, and right before the rock beneath them collapsed into nothing, Saberbeak ducked between the shieldmaiden’s legs and lifted both her and her damsel into the sky. 

The wind had begun to subside, and though a few gales diverted them from their course along the way, the flight back to the mountain proved less perilous than the flight from it. 

When all reached the top of the rocky hill, Valeriana and Cassandra dismounted. The two of them held hands and shared a brief kiss, Valeriana reflecting on how blessed they were to have the firm stone underfoot again. 

“I know a cave fairly near here,” said Valeriana. “We can take shelter there.”

A short walk down the path later, the women and the riding bird found an entrance to a hollowed-out section of the mountain. All ducked as they walked inside, and Saberbeak quickly lay down in one of the corner nearest the cave’s mouth. 

Valeriana watched her mount shake the water out of his head fathers before kneeling down beside the princess. The knight removed her helmet and set it next to her on the ground. Cassandra looked into her rescuer’s face and smiled, and the two of them kissed once more. The sight of Cassandra’s body through her wet shift made the blood surge through Valeriana’s veins, but she knew better than to ask to splice with her immediately.

“You’re wearing very little,” said Valeriana, addressing something that had puzzled her from the moment she saw it. “How did you not die of cold when you were tied to the altar?”

“The science witch strapped this thermal pod to me.” Cassandra glanced down at it, as if to ensure that it was still there. “She seemed somewhat reluctant to sacrifice me, but she was under the command of the king.”

“You are the king’s daughter. Why did he have to sacrifice you?” Valeriana tried to refrain from clenching her fists as she thought about what sort of monster would send his own child to be eaten by a dragon, but she could not stop herself.

“The Lord of the Sea demanded no less than the finest specimen of the finest bloodline in the land. My father had no desire to surrender me to the cruel forces of the divine, but he had no choice. He wept when I was being prepared for the dragon’s consumption. I assure you, he was not an evil man—"

Valeriana groaned. “I can hardly believe the words you say. Your father consigned you to a horrible death, and yet you defend him.”

“It is the loyalty I owe him, my fond knight. No option was left to my kingdom. If the gods decree it, then it must be.”

“The gods declared war on _us_ , Cassandra.” Valeriana rose to her full height. “They let the innocent suffer and die—even children. They send catastrophes to destroy our settlements. They demand sacrifice—you yourself were a sacrifice for that sea monster. How can you claim that we owe them anything, or that we deserve the trials they heap upon us?”

Cassandra shrugged. “They have the right, my love, and we, simply put, do not. It is not for us to decide what can be done with this world.”

The swordswoman looked away from Cassandra and stared instead at Saberbeak, which had his head turned to preen his wing feathers. If he had taken a theological stance, he did not proclaim it.

“I was wondering,” said Valeriana.

“About what?” Cassandra drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. 

“Why were you tied up to be eaten by a _dragon_ when you were sacrificed to the _sea god_? Clearly the god and the dragon were not one and the same, for Saberbeak killed the dragon.”

“The dragon was the god’s pet. My death was to serve a symbolic purpose, not a practical one.”

Valeriana nearly punched the wall of the cave but pulled her fist back just in time. “Do you not see how unfit the gods are to rule this world? They needed you for nothing!”

“No…no, that isn’t true….” Tears budded in Cassandra’s eyes. “I had to die.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was….” Sobs choked her. “My father who…started the war.” Once again, she flung herself at Valeriana, who opened her arms to her. After removing one of her spiked gauntlets and tossing it on the ground, she patted her fair princess on the back.

“You needn’t cry, my love. You can tell me all about it.”

The princess sniffled. “I can’t if I want to stop crying. But did you hear of the start of the great storm that began this whole war? My father claimed that he had the right to the sea that rolls by our kingdom—his people, the trappers of fish and all other swimming beasts, had dominion over the water itself and all that lived within it, and so he was the new god of the sea. He declared his self-appointed divinity one night on the edge of the cliff next to where his castle sits, and with the roar of a wave so mighty that it drowned out the sounds of the trumpet-players in the garden, the Lord of the Sea declared war. So I was to be devoured for my father’s blasphemy.”

The thought of this innocent young woman blaming herself for the king’s arrogance stupefied Valeriana, but she could not deny that it was happening. If anyone demanded proof of the gods’ lack of morality, here it was.

Rather than spout the first reply that came into her mind, Valeriana said, “He could not have been the first to rouse the anger of a god. Not long ago in my kingdom, the landlords demanded the fattest cattle for themselves, so there were none left for the vernal tribute. Soon afterward, the Lord of the Earth caused the ground to split and shattered many of our settlements—even the fortresses we thought so mighty crumbled. But we did not all die, and I bear representation of our survival.” Valeriana managed a smile after recounting this brutality.

Cassandra attempted to copy her rescuer’s facial expression but failed. “I am eternally grateful that the Lord of the Earth spared you. Or were you just fortunate?”

“I have no way of knowing. I expect he didn’t care enough about my soul one way or another.”

More seconds passed, and the clatter of rain outside continued. Small but shrill snores emanated from Saberbeak.

The princess broke the silence. “Do you think this war is even about souls? Or do you think it’s about something worse?”

“Something worse?”

“Yes. You clearly feel strongly about the war, but I do have to wonder if they planned this all along…if they were just waiting for actions grievous enough for an excuse.”

Valeriana pondered her lady’s words until their meaning struck her like a javelin thrown from close behind. Her heart had never beat strongly with love for any god, even her kingdom’s own patron, and yet this thought was still horrifying. When she finished digesting the message, she cleared her throat.

"Well, you are safe with me now, as long as we hide from the forces that ravage our planet." She wiped sweat from her brow and then proceeded to peel off her armor until all pieces of lay on the ground. "The exertion has tired me. Though I don't wish to disappoint you, I think I'll curl up for the night."

"I have no objections. Good night, my dear."

"Good night...." Valeriana lay prone and rested her head on her folded arms, vowing to herself that she and Cassandra would reap the full physical rewards of a lovers' reunion.

Many hours later, she awoke to the sight of Cassandra standing above her and--finally--smiling.

"Good morning, my knight. I have something to show you."

"Good morning," said Valeriana, rising, still clad in the leathers she habitually wore under her armor. She took Cassandra's outstretched hand and followed her to the inner reaches of the cave.

On their way, the two women passed many tiny scuttling insects, several stalactite-clinging purple bats that either dozed or blinked at the humans sleepily, and a few stray white-feathered birds. The scattered bones, some of which lay amidst ashes, attracted Valeriana's attention more frequently. All the while, they sound of rushing water increased until it fairly pounded in Valeriana's head. She mentally kicked herself for not exploring the cave beyond the first hallway or so when she discovered it initially.

Eventually, they came to the end of the cave, and Valeriana gasped. The cavern terminated in a vast pool fed from above by a waterfall, which sprayed into the corners of the stone walls surrounding it. Even more amazingly, however, a dingy yellow vehicle of unknown origin floated in the middle of the water. This teardrop-shaped contraption had circular windows on its side, some sort of bent cylinder peeking out from the top, and what looked like wings above and to the left of the windows.

"What on Earth is that?" In truth, other questions rushed through Valeriana's mind like the waterfall she saw, but she asked the first one that manifested.

"I'm not sure. I think someone who lived here before us must have built it."

"Of course they must have--but who? Why? When?"

Cassandra crept into the pool, not needing to hitch up her dress. "Well, perhaps we'll discover all that if we go inside."

Valeriana doffed her boots and leggings and followed her lady into the pale blue water. "You didn't enter the...contraption before now?"

"I wanted to experience it with you for the first time."

On the other side of the vehicle was a door, and Cassandra grabbed and pulled the handle. With a slight delay, the door creaked open, and the two women clambered inside.

Once in, Valeriana knew she would not get out for several hours, for the artifacts of another time lay strewn about her.

  


Hours indeed passed while Valeriana and Cassandra combed the interior of the vehicle, picking up this item and that and trying to determine what it meant. After the two of them had looked at pouches of copper coins (which they agreed was money), some strange dried chunks and powder of unseen substances (which they supposed might have been the reconstituted form of a necessity), orichalcum statuettes of birds and women (which did not seem to have much obvious utility), and other objects of unguessable purpose, Cassandra dug through the nailed-in box at the foot of the vehicle's driver's seat and cried "Yes! I found it!"

"Found what?" asked Valeriana, looking up from the bizarre map with no more than two broad continents and one small island in the southern hemisphere.

"I think this must be the pilot's manual." Cassandra walked over to the seat in which Valeriana was slouching. "Look at this."

Valeriana could not read the printed words, but Cassandra had opened the manual to a diagram of the contraption, showing that the wings were more than decorative. The lady flipped to an earlier page, which displayed the vehicle with its wings tucked in somewhere and diving beneath the surface of a body of water.

"Do you know what this means?" Cassandra asked.

"We'll be honored as explorers if anyone is still alive after the war, if indeed it ever ends?"

"No, it means that we have to get this vehicle up and running again so we can save our kind from certain destruction. You rescued me from the dragon, and we can rescue others from the whims of gods and men."

As it turned out, the author of the manual had written it in an earlier form of the native language both the women shared, though only Cassandra could understand the text. According to a few paragraphs near the manual's beginning, the vehicle ran on solar rays, either by absorbing them directly on sunny days or by storing said rays in an internal chamber at the back of the contraption.

When the sunlight burst through the fog the next morning, the two women, after bidding goodbye to Saberbeak, flew in their refurbished all-terrain vehicle to a coastal village ravaged by fire, where they retrieved mothers and children whose huts had been burned to the ground. The women next flew to an island under siege from giant waves that drowned over three quarters of the population, and they brought back all those just well enough to survive the flight back to the mountain grotto. While at sea, Valeriana and Cassandra even discovered the lone survivor of a shipwreck, clinging for life to a coffin, and they pulled her up and into their flying machine without a moment’s hesitation. 

Some time later, when all the people the knight and her princess could find had made a home for themselves in the depths and heights of the hollow mountain, and Saberbeak had found a female of his species on the hills, Valeriana sat in the high cave, gazed at the downpour outside, and mused.

Neither man nor the gods who made him in their image cared for woman, it seemed. Only other women and the beasts they tamed supported woman, and if other kinds of humans or creatures who redefined woman’s perception of reality came to offer her their friendship, she would accept it. Perhaps when gods or men or both rent this world asunder and left it in smoking ruins, women and their friends would emerge from the ashes and inherit the earth.


End file.
